Autonomous vehicles, such as vehicles that do not require a human driver, can be used to aid in the transport of passengers or items from one location to another. Such vehicles may operate in a fully autonomous mode where passengers may provide some initial input, such as a destination, and the vehicle maneuvers itself to that destination.
With a typical taxi service, a passenger and vehicle (and/or driver) are assigned to one another, the vehicle stops to allow the passenger to enter, and once safely inside, the vehicle is maneuvered to a destination location, presumably selected by the passenger. Where there is a human driver, the passenger is able to communicate his or her desire to be dropped off at a particular location fairly easily based on the passenger's assessment of the environment of the vehicle. The driver is then able to make a judgment about whether it is safe to stop and let the passenger out. However, in the case of a vehicle without a driver, communicating the passenger's desire to be let out of the vehicle at a particular location (especially when it is not the destination location) is extremely complicated.